


hide and seek

by carefulren



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: (more to be added) - Freeform, Alternate Universe - College/University, Family Feels, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda, M/M, Runaway, Sean and Finn, Slow Burn, finding daniel, sean's perspective, very minor/brief mentions of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 10:38:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19060945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carefulren/pseuds/carefulren
Summary: Sean goes off to college to catch a break from his family, but a news report of a fatal shooting has him skipping out with his hippie roommate Finn to find his little brother.





	hide and seek

“Diaz! Are you coming to the party tomorrow night?”

 

Sean sighs quietly under his breath, pulling one earbud from his ear and sliding his gaze toward the voice calling out to him. His phone died hours ago between his second and third class, but he opted to pop the buds in on his back to his dorm in the small hope that his earbuds paired with his hood pulled up would prevent anyone from speaking to him—he’s just not in the mood after earning a D on his second Biology test.

 

His eyes scan over the sign Jane… or Jess, an over-the-top flirt from his art class, is hammering into the ground right in front of her sorority house.

 

“Halloweed Party?” Sean’s brows arch slightly. A part of him wants to ask if she’s aware there’s a typo, but knowing how much students on campus smoke, especially Finn, he stops himself, recognizing that the sign is intentional.

 

“Yep! We’re going to party until we are baked like a cake!”

 

“I’ll… try,” Sean says, knowing Finn will try to drag his ass to it whether he wants to go or not, and he turns his gaze back toward the sidewalk in front of him and reaches to slip his earbud back in, but Jana—he thinks—grabs his hand and yanks his arm until he’s facing her.

 

“What the hell—”

 

She reaches up and pushes his hood off, fingers slowly sliding down his temple as she watches him with dark eyes and a devious smirk. Her hand is cold, and Sean moves his face away from the chilly touch.

 

“Don’t hide, Diaz. You’re incredibly too hot.”

 

Her tone is sweet, but there’s an undertone laced within that has Sean smiling politely and backing away. “Thanks, I’ll… uh… see you later.” He turns on his heel and starts toward his dorm two buildings down, moving a little faster than before.

 

College is harder than he expected. He could have stayed in Seattle, gone to a community college, or he could have skipped college all together to work with his dad, but he wanted to get away.

 

Daniel’s hitting the age where he’s a couple of years shy of a teenager but thinks he is one and should be treated like one, and it drives Sean up the wall. If he stayed at home, he would have cracked, and what little filter he has would have crumbled, with Daniel taking the brunt of his frustration. So, he left to get away from his brother and live independently for the first time at a university six hours away, and he’s determined to make it work for his sanity’s sake.

 

Sean waves to a few people as he steps into his dorm and climbs the two flights of stairs to his floor. He likes most people here—most students are nice, or a little too nice, like Finn.

 

Finn is some type of pothead hippie who’s a grade above Sean. The guy’s got thick dreads, facial tattoos, and a personality that is borderline frighteningly easygoing, yet he’s a bit of a star student, both with his teachers and the other students. Everyone loves him, but Sean is still getting to know him despite sharing a room with him for the last two months.

 

Sean doesn’t bother with his key when he gets to his door—he knows Finn keeps it unlocked for him after he accidentally locked himself out twice while Finn was in class. He opens the door to the small dorm and offers a nod to Finn, who’s lounging on the small couch and flipping through the eight TV channels they get.

 

“Where’s the Chinese, Picasso?”

 

“Huh?” Sean cocks his head to the side, and Finn gestures toward Sean’s empty hands.

 

“Sweet and sour chicken with fried rice on the side?” When Sean doesn’t respond, Finn huffs and grabs his phone. “The sustenance I texted you to bring home with you?”

 

“Phone’s dead,” Sean says, dropping his backpack on his bed. His biology book slips out a little, and he sighs loudly, pushing it out of sight. “Sorry,” he mutters, turning back toward Finn.

 

“No worries, little artist,” Finn drawls out, sinking back into the couch and tilting his head with narrow eyes.

 

Sean knows this look—Finn’s studying him the way he studies a scene he’s about to draw. “I’m fine,” he says, one hand rubbing at the back of his neck.

 

“Are you sure about that? You look tense.”

 

“I made a D on my bio test.”

 

“You don’t need bio, man,” Finn starts. “You’ve got magic hands that are going to take you places.”

 

Sean can’t help but huff out a low laugh at the odd choice of words. “Yeah, tell that to the general education core.” He starts toward the bathroom. “Give me a few minutes then we can go get your Chinese.”

 

“That’s more like it, man! Go wash that pout off your sexy face!”

 

Shaking his head with a hint of a smile slipping across his lips, Sean kicks the bathroom door closed and moves toward the sink. He turns the water on, opting to keep it cold, and stares blankly at his reflection. Eighteen looks the same as seventeen, he thinks as he bends over to splash icy water across his face, and nineteen will probably look the same as eighteen. He wonders if he will grow into his face the way his father did—if he will ever be able to grow facial hair and look older.

 

“Yo, Sean.”

 

Sean turns off the tap and quickly pats his face with a towel. “What?” he asks as he opens the bathroom door.

 

“Looks like some shit went down in Seattle.”

 

Sean moves to his bedside table to plug in his phone before turning toward the TV. “Shit’s always going down in Seattle,” he says coolly. “It’s probably—”

 

His words stop when an image of his father flashes across the screen.

 

_“The victim, Esteban Diaz, was fatally shot by a local police officer after a violent altercation between a neighbor and his eleven-year-old son, Daniel Diaz. Reports say that Daniel fled the scene and has yet to be found.”_

 

The floor cracks open below Sean, and he plummets into a murky ocean. Freezing water rushes into his ears, his mouth, his lungs, and he sinks to the bottom, blinking slowly as the image of his father follows him down. His vision is growing hazy with each rise and fall of his eyelids, and he starts to give in to his burning lungs and the darkness that’s surrounding him, pressing against him.

 

“Sean? Sean! Sean, man, breathe!”

 

Sean opens his mouth and gasps, chest heaving for air, and the water around him fades away into his dorm room. He’s on the floor, his knees are throbbing, and Finn’s at his side, arms wrapped around him and eyes colored in a rare show of concern.

 

His text tone is dinging repeatedly behind him, clashing with the reporter’s voice on the news.

 

_“If anyone has any leads on Daniel’s location, please call the local police station immediately.”_

“I need to go look for him,” Sean breathes out, voice trembling as hard as his limbs. “He hates cops. I have to— he could get hurt—he needs me—I—”

 

“Sean, hey,” Finn’s voice is quiet and steady, warm breath brushing against Sean’s ear. “We’ll find him, man.”

 

“We?” Sean whispers, tearing his eyes away from the TV screen to meet Finn’s eyes.

 

“We.”

**Author's Note:**

> It's bee A MINUTE since I've written anything. 
> 
> I've been toying with this plot for a little bit now, and I've finally gathered the courage to try writing again. 
> 
> Please excuse any grammar errors I may have missed, and I hope you all enjoy!


End file.
